Chevrolet Colorado Trail Boss Prefers the Dusty Road

For those who didn’t grow up watching reruns of Bonanza and Gunsmoke, a trail boss is the foreman of a cattle drive. It’s their job to keep them doggies rollin’ (rawhide!). It is not an easy job as it involves long hours in an unforgiving work environment where mistakes can be fatal. You have to be tough to be trail boss, which makes it a perfect marketing term to christen a mid-size pickup truck with a factory lift, all-terrain tires and a turbocharged four-cylinder engine with plenty of true grit – The Chevrolet Colorado Trail Boss.

The Chevy Colorado is the paperback version of the hardcover GMC Canyon. The pages have the same content, but the finish is different. The Colorado’s front design looks like Charles Bronson staring directly into the camera with more lines than Tommy Lee Jones’s face.

GM designers must have looked at a Ruffles potato chip and thought eureka because the entire exterior of the pickup truck is littered with body lines, dimples and creases to give it a masculine aesthetic. For example, the flared fenders look sharp enough to shave with. The Glacier Blue exterior color with matte black trim and 18-inch black wheels provides the look you want in a broad-shouldered pickup truck.

It’s the interior where the Colorado Trail Boss lives too much to the job title it’s named after. The work truck cloth seats and dry plastic trim don’t match the extra cost for this trim level. The center console feels flimsy and awkward to operate. Plus, the only place you’ll see the words “Trail Boss” is on the rear fender, a tiny badge on the front grille and the pink slip. However, you do get a six-speaker audio system, Google connectivity, 8-way power seats, and a hitch view backup camera.

Another thing you’ll notice is the absence of a lever typically reserved for operating a vehicle’s headlights. That task has been reassigned to the 11-inch diagonal Driver Information Center touchscreen, forcing you to unlearn a common habit. Several times, I reached for a phantom lever that wasn’t there.

Driving dynamics felt more comfortable than the stylish but rough-riding GMC Canyon AT4 thanks to the 32-inch all-terrain tires absorbing road imperfections. It’s a nice ride, even when the road runs out.

Off-road goodies in the Trail Boss package include a factory two-inch lift and beefier variant of the Colorado’s 8-speed automatic transmission. It has an electronically controlled overdrive and altered shift points to help with towing, adaptive cruise, and hill descent control – all standard. In addition to selectable four-wheel-drive, a two-speed transfer case, and a sensor that manages wheel speed. If it detects an increase in wheel speed like when driving in mud, the rear differential locks the rear wheels to travel in unison for added traction.

I had to dive into the center screen’s settings to turn off the truck’s stability and traction control. Then, I could unleash the turbocharged 2.7L engine’s 310 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque on the back roads of rural Texas. This pickup truck will slide on dirt roads like a moonshine runner fleeing from the law – briefly.

Past 35 mph, the truck’s stability control panics and reengages. This shuts down the fun faster than a helicopter parent seeing their kid climbing a tree. Is it safe? If you’re in a bad weather situation, yes. However, some of us understand the concept of car control and like sliding around corners. If I consciously decide to turn off an electronic driver safety aid, I expect it to stay off until I say otherwise. Of course, this is a very specific nitpick for an otherwise capable and comfortable pickup truck.

My biggest criticism of the Chevrolet Colorado Trail Boss is fuel consumption. It’s rated at 17 mpg in the city, 19 highway for a combined average of 18 mpg with a 21.4-gallon fuel tank. In the real world, I averaged between 16-17 mpg. That puts it in the same league as a full-size truck with more cylinders, towing capacity and legroom. In terms of efficiency, what’s the point apart from taking up less space in the garage?

Lucky for the Colorado, its MSRP is far lower than its Silverado sibling. With a starting price for the entry level Work Truck and LT trim levels under $35,000 and the Trail Boss starting at $40,000.

Engine: 2.7L Turbocharged Four-Cylinder

Transmission: 8-Speed Automatic

0 to 60: 6.5 Seconds

Starting Price: $33,495 (LT 2WD)

Price as Shown: $41,055 (Trail Boss 4WD)